Invalid-crutch.



C. 0. MICHEL.

' INVALID CRUTCH.

APPLICATION FILED JUL'Y 8.191s.

1,292,503; Patented Jan. 28, 1919.

INVENTOR. w/mmss Chafles 03m cw,

. L I ATTO/WEY CHARLES 0. MICHEL, 0F HOBOKEN, NEW JERSEY.

INVALID-GRUTCH.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented J an. 28, 1919.

Application filed July 8, 1918. Serial No. 243,780.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, CHARLES O. MICHEL, a citizen of the United States, residing at I-Ioboken, in the county of Hudson and State of New Jersey, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Invalid- Crutches, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to invalid crutches, and its object is to provide a crutch which will afford elastic support to the user, and particularly to his shoulder and arm, thus to eliminate the shock incident to impact of the crutch with the ground and materially reduce the fatigue which rigid crutches are well known to cause. A further object is to provide a yielding crutch which may be manufactured at minimum cost and will be exceedingly strong and durable notwithstanding it comprises movable parts.

In the accompanying drawing of the improved crutch,

Figure 1 is a side elevation; 1

Fig. 2 is a side elevation of the upper part of the crutch, on a larger scale;

Fig. 3 is a sectional view on the line 3-3 of Fig. '2;

Figs. 4 and 5 are sectional views on the lines 4-4 and 55 of Fig. 1; and

Fig. 6 shows the upper part of the crutch with a certain flexible sheath housing the same.

The body structure of the crutch includes two upright members a a preferably converging downwardly and terminating in the foot 6 over which is fitted a vertically yielding ferrule 0 containing a cushion in the form of a spiral spring d, the ferrule being retained on the foot by the slot and pin connection e therewith.

The head portion of 'the crutch is constructed as follows: There is a 1ower or fixed section 6 provided with a recess f in its upper partbeing therefore in effect bifurcatedand having a pair of downwardly extending lugs or projections g. The upper ends of the members a are secured by screws h or otherwise to the outer faces of these two lugs. There is also an upper or downwardly yielding section 2' which forms the shoulder support proper of the crutch and to this end may be suitably padded, as at j; this section has the downward extension 79 adapted to fit the recess f and move up and down therein. The lower section forms a. guide for the upper section, and

this is accomplished by providing tongue and groove connections between the extension 70 of the section 2' and the inner faces of the bifurcated upper part of the section 6; the tongues are indicated at Z and the grooves at m.

A cushion means for the upper section 2' and preferably consisting of two springs is arranged in the recess f and constructed as follows: Each spring consists of a stout wire having its end portions formed as alined coils n 92, its ends pro'per 0 extending in one direction from the coils and its intermediate portion 29 (which is substantially a loop) in the opposite direction. A short length of tubing 1 affords an axial support or hearing for the two coils n. The springs are arranged with their loops crossing as shown in Fig. 2, their coils being disposed in the respective lower corners of the recess 7 and secured in place by stout wood screws 8 which are driven through suitable holes in the bearing pieces 9 and into the section 6; the ends proper of the wires are inserted in holes in the section 6 as shown in Fig. 2. To limit the upward movement of the springs chains t may be arranged to connect their extremities with the section 6. The springs preferably bear slidingly on a metal plate u attached to the under face of the section The upper section 2' is removably coupled to the lower section e by the pairs of strips '0 which are preferably secured to the opposite faces of the section '4' and are received in grooves w in the lower section 6, extending through staples w driven into the latter and having set screws 1 which. with the springs at the upward limits which the chains t afford and with the section 2' resting on the springs, abut the staples, so that there will be no lost motion as to the section 5; upon removing the set screws 3 the section 2' can be detached.

To cover the adjoining portions of the sections 6 and 2' and the intervening mechanism I provide a flexible casing 2 which may be secured in place by lacing 2, as shown in Fig. 6.

The hand-hold 3 has a hand grip 4 and it moves in a vertical plane in alinement with the yielding shoulder support 2'. It has opposite tongue and groove connections 5 with the members a, between which it is arranged as shown best in Figs. 1 and 4. In the actual construction shown the parts 3-4, consist of a block provided with a hand opening to form the handgrip l, the result of this construction being that the hand grip has in effect upright extensions (one each side of said opening, rigidly connected below it by the material below the opening) each having ertically elongated guiding contact with the members (rat 5; the hand-hold therefore is adapted to slide without binding between the members a. 'By means of bolts 6 a pair of plate springs 7 are secured to the members a, such springs overlapping and one bearing against the other and the latteragainst the under side of the arm supp rts- In view of the foregoing description and the accompanying drawing it will be seen that when the crutch is in use the user can apportion his weight to both the cushioned shoulder support i and cushioned hand-hold the two yielding together, and that'since the hand-hold is in vertical alinement with the shoulder support it is positioned where the can coact with the shoulder to best advantage in supporting the load.

Having thus fully described my invention, what I claim as'new and desire to secure by Letters Patent is': L'An invalid'crutch having a head portion formed in two sections, upper and lower,

one Section being vertically bifurcated and receiying the other and the lateral opposing faces of said sections within the bifurcation having vertical tongue-and-groove con- Gppies of this patent may be obtained. for

3. An invalid crutch including an upright body structure having upright spaced members, a downwardly yielding elastically supported block-shaped hand-hold extending across the space between said members, and having an aperture to form a hand-grip, said hand-hold having elongated vertical tongues and said members having elongated vertical groovesforming sliding connections between them.

4;. An invalid crutch including, with an upright body structure having upright spaced members, a downwardly yielding elastically supported block-shaped handhold arranged between 'said'inembers and apertured to form a hand grip and having vertical tongueand-groov.e connections between its sides and said members.

In testimony whereof I affix my signature.

CHARLES O. MICHEI five cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Patents Washington, I). 0. i 

